Tomato purée.—Break up six good tomatoes,
and put them into a pan with 1 to 1½oz. fresh butter,
with a small quartered onion, a bouquet (thyme,
parsley, bay-leaf, etc.), one clove, and enough cold
water just to cover the tomatoes; add a little salt
and some peppercorns, bring it gently to the boil,
shaking the pan from time to time lest the purée
should stick to the pan, and when tender sieve
it; remove the pips and the peel, rubbing the sieve
well to extract every drop of pulp, leaving the pips
and the skins quite dry, scrape the residue under
the sieve, and add it to the rest of the purée, for this
is the best part. Cook this uncovered, or the purée
will be too thin. This purée, if made rather thick,
and mixed with a little grated Parmesan cheese,
minced chives, and coralline pepper, makes delicious
tomato soufflés, according to the recipe given for
spinach soufflés.